Enhancing safety, operations and rehabilitation in corrections facilities

Axios

6 days ago

Empowering corrections facilities with technology solutions is essential to enhancing safety, optimizing operations, and strengthening rehabilitation for better reentry outcomes.
The combination of staff shortages and a 1.8 million prison population strains safety and security in U.S. correctional facilities
Why it's important: Corrections facilities urgently need advanced technology to enhance safety, security, and rehabilitation, addressing the complex needs of law enforcement and individuals within the system.
The solution: With 30 years of experience in corrections, Securus Technologies, alongside its affiliates Securus Monitoring and JPay under Aventiv Technologies, delivers tailored solutions to bridge the digital divide, creating safer and more connected correctional environments.
Strengthening facility operations and safety: By offering law enforcement more than 80 high-tech tools that effectively address the unique challenges of facility management and security, Securus contributes to safer, more secure environments for officers and incarcerated individuals:
Breach prevention and contraband mitigation: Tools that monitor digital communications can help identify potential threats and track suspicious activity, so officers can mitigate contraband risks and maintain order more effectively.
Corrections officer tools: Digital solutions available on the Officer T80 tablet allows corrections staff to work optimally by modernizing administration, automating workflows, and centralizing communication and forms.
Secure connections: The EVOTAB tablet, available to incarcerated individuals, has tamper alarms, GPS, fingerprint authentication, secure LTE connectivity and a private Google Play Store, to optimize operations and environmental safety.
Human trafficking prevention: Securus Technologies' monitoring and data insights directly aided law enforcement in recovering 15 children and generating 80 leads in a February 2025 anti-trafficking operation.
Facilitating constructive incarceration and successful reentry: Securus streamlines access to critical resources, improving rehabilitation, enhancing safety, and reducing financial and operational costs.
Access to educational and vocational programs: Using secure tablets, incarcerated individuals can access educational and vocational training and industry certifications through partnerships with Edovo, JSTOR, Essential Education and Tooling U.
Employment connections: Securus tablets offer apps like R3UP, which enable incarcerated individuals to plan careers pre-release and Job1Stop, which connects released individuals with second-chance employers.
Partnering for impact: The company's approach is rooted in collaboration, a deep understanding of the communities it serves and a human-centric focus that prioritizes the needs and perspectives of all stakeholders.
Aventiv advisory board: The company's advisory board, comprised of respected corrections authorities Rick Raemisch, former executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, and Steve Casey, former executive director of the Florida Sheriffs Association, distinguish Securus's products and services with credible insight and innovative solutions that directly enhance their ability to support law enforcement's public safety commitment.
Prioritizing lived experience: Internal and external listening sessions, particularly with justice-impacted resource groups, ensure that those with lived experience have a voice in the development of solutions. This emphasis brings a unique and valuable perspective to the table, leading to more effective outcomes.
The impact: Niagara County Corrections Facility's chief jail administrator Anthony Suess calls Aventiv's Securus tablets a "godsend," citing a year-over-year 22 percent reduction in infractions and a 67 percent increase in family connections, demonstrating their impact on facility safety and individual well-being.
The takeaway: According to Kevin Elder, president, Securus Technologies, "Securus's commitment to security, operational efficiency and reentry success within corrections is a direct investment in safer facilities, successful homecomings and ultimately, more viable, financially stronger and secure communities."